Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. E. MQMURTREY, I. WILLIAMS & P. E. OKIE.

OAR COUPLING. No. 287,455. Patented-Oct. 30, .1883.

wrmcssss: FIG S X imam/M @411 KW/java 222;

' IJNITED STATES arnnr tries.

JAMES E. MOMURTREY, IRVIN WILLIAMS, AND FREDERICK E. OKIE,' OF

' BURKSVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CAR-COUPLING."

SPECIFIGATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 287,455,'dated October20,- 1883.

Application filed April 11, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JAMES/E. MOMUR- TREY,IRVIN WILLIA s, and FREDERICK E. OKIE, citizens of the United States,and residents of Burksville, in the county of Cumberland and State ofKentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Couplers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The objectsof our invention are to furnish a car-coupler by means ofwhich two cars may be coupled automatically, and so prevent the numerousaccidents which arise from the old method of coupling, which requiresthe presence of aperson between the cars to guide the link into place inthe draw head and to drop the coupling-pin.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and inwhich similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout theseveral views, Figure 1 represents a side view of two draw-headsembodying our invention; Figs. 2 and 3 sectional elevations ofdraw-heads, showing the positions of trigger when the coupling-pin isdown and up; Fig. 4, a front view of funnel; Figs. 5, 6, and 7, a side,front, and top view of coupling-link, plate, and arm,- Fig. 8, a frontView of stirrup, Fig. 9, an enlarged side view of trigger, and Fig. 10 afront view of the same.

Beneath the draw-head, and secured to some convenient part of thecar-frame, we have a funnel, A, which may be constructed of any suitablematerial. This funnel is furnished with a slot, a, to allow the bottomof a lever, B, to rest in its rear end, and may, if necessary, have aflaring end, as shown by the dotted lines 0. The lever B has one endsecured to some fixed point C and the other to a stirrup, D, which spansthe draw-head and carries the coupling-pin I, and the stirrup D is heldin place an dis guided by staples L, which are preferably placed on thesides of the drawhead.

The operation of the device is as follows: The linkbeing secured in onedraw-head, as shown in Fig. 1, the car to which this drawhead isattached is backed up to the one which is to be coupled to it, and thearm G enters the funnel A, and is guided up to the far end of saidfunnel, where the ball H strikes against and throws up the lever B, andpasses through this end of the funnel and falls down, allowing the leverBto return at the proper time to or near its original position. When thelever B is raised, it raises the stirrup D and pin I, and when this pinis at its highest point it is caught and held by the lower part, b, of atrigger, K, which is held in the draw-head, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.The position of this trigger when the pin is up is shown in Fig. 3.WVhen the link E enters the draw-head, it strikes against the triggerand releases the pin, which falls and secures the link inthe drawhead.The position of the trigger when the pin is down is shown in Fig. 2, andan enlarged side and front view of this trigger are shown in Figs. 9 and10, from which it will be observed that the upper and lower parts arepivoted together, and a spring, 0, always tends to throw the lower partinto the posisition shown in Fig. 9. lVhen the arm G,

and moves up along the sides of A, said link, which will always beparallel to said arm,will be guided in a proper manner into thedrawhead, and the distance that the funnel is below the draw-head shouldbe regulated according to the length of the plate F. Secured to theupper part of the funnel we have a plate, M, which carries a spring, N,which bears against the plate F and prevents this plate from being movedbackward out of a vertical position.

If it be desired, the stirrup D. may be arranged with a hook or ring, towhich a rope, chain, or rod may be attached, and by'means of which thisstirrup. may be raised from the top of the car; or, if it be found moreconvenient, the chain or rod may be attached to the top of coupling-pinI.

It is obvious that the pin may be raised by hand, and the funnel be onlyused to guide the link into place in the draw-head. In this arrangement,the lever B would be dispensed with, the stirrup D would be muchshorter, the arm G would be without a ball at its end, and the funnelwould be set up very close to the draw-head.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 7 which is attached toplate F on link E, enters- 1 As a device for guiding a link, E, into adraw-head automatically, said link being provided with a plate, F, andarm G, a funnel,

A, or its equivalent, situated beneath saidv draw-head, the whole beingarranged and operating substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, in a car-coupler, of a link, E, provided withaplate, F, and arm G, said arm having at its end a ball, H, or itsequivalent, funnel A, lever B, and stirrup D, said stirrup carrying thecoupling-pin I, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. As a device for raising the coupling-pin I automatically, the stirrupD and lever B, said stirrup carrying said pin, and said lever resting ina slot, at, in a funnel, A, and being operated by an arm, G, attached tothe link E, substantially as set forth.

JAMES E. MOMURTREY.

TRVIN WILLIAMS.

. FREDERICK E. OKIE.

-Witnesses:

G. O. CHILDRESS, \VM. FURKIN.

